After stopping by the hotel to pick up our bags, we headed back out to catch the shinkansen to Hiroshima. Our departing station was Shinagawa, which felt very new and modern. We left enough time to grab some dinner since we would be on the train for around five hours. I picked up an ekiben (bento made for train stations) with a variety of little nibbles.

D is not a fan of bentos since he likes his food hot. Therefore, he had spring rolls, which are supposed to be cold, along with some other goodies.

This is the mocha bun that I brought along from Johan.

A single coffee bean capped the light and airy top, and inside was a moist mocha filling. I’ve never had anything like it before.

I was concerned about catching the correct train, but it was not a problem. Hyperdia had told us which platform to wait on, and our transfer went smoothly.


All the trains were right on time. I read somewhere that the average delay over the last year was around 30 seconds!

Even though eating is allowed (and encouraged…they sell food on the train), the trains are very clean. They do a thorough cleaning job between routes.

The train conductors and the women selling snacks all bow to the occupants of the car of the train upon entering and leaving.

D pointed out Mt. Fuji when we passed by. I would have probably missed it. (It doesn’t appear this close…I zoomed in).

Sunset.

It was a nice, relaxing ride. I especially appreciated being off my feet for five hours after all the walking. My brother in law K was able to pick us up at the station just before 9 p.m. We chatted with my sister and K for a bit and had our first good, full night’s sleep.

Ginza is the “Beverly Hills” of Tokyo. Upscale shopping is not really our thing, but it was interesting to look around. My must stop was Itoya, a multi-story building dedicated to stationery supplies. D couldn’t believe there could be so many floors to a stationery store.

Running low on blood sugar, D stocked up on sakura mochi and stopped at McDonald’s for a breakfast meal. We also bought a chocolate croissant at a cute store called Choco Cro and saved it for our afternoon snack. I had actually not heard of this chain during my extensive culinary research of Japan, and was pleasantly surprised. The croissant is nice and flaky, and the chocolate was melty inside.

Tokyo had been cloudy since we arrived, but for the first time, it started to sprinkle during the daytime. We ducked into a place called Ippudo for hakata-style ramen. There is an English menu, and we ordered one “white bowl” and one “red bowl”, and upgraded with gyoza. They also gave us a pitcher of cold ice tea which had a menthol-aftertaste.

The red bowl has more of a kick. There was also fresh garlic cloves along with a garlic press to add even more kick.

Perfect for a rainy day.

By the time we finished lunch, the sun came out!

D checked out the fancy showroom in the Sony building.

I was more interested in the fancy Hello Kitty store by the subway station. (I was unable to go to the HK store in Shinjuku, with the largest statue of Hello Kitty in the world.)

They were selling these bouquets outside of the store. There was also a nail salon for HK manicures inside.

Blinged-Out Hello Kitty

There wasn’t too much selection and I didn’t buy anything, but it was fun to gawk.

Wako building. We stepped in, immediately felt underdressed, and walked out.

Our final stop was another famous department store, Matsuya. D looked at the clothing/shoes in the men’s department and felt weird having several employees bow to him every time he walked by.

We also checked out the depachika (department store food hall).

One place sold fancy fruits. One mango was over $100! Can you imagine? It is meant to be given as a gift, but still…

Crazier still…

White strawberries, also around $100!

More lovely looking dessert display cases:

When we first walked past this bakery, there was a long line of people standing in a queue separate from the regular cash register.

Turns out they were waiting for Ginza Choco bread, which apparently is only available during certain times of the day.

Cute Easter-Springtime pastries

I chose a coffee bun from Johan to eat later on the shinkansen, and it was my favorite sweet of the trip. I guess I can understand why people wait in long lines for the choco bread!

Due to jet lag, D wasn’t able to sleep much on Monday night. While I was taking a shower, D asked if I had moved the cash (yen) that he had left in our suitcase. I hadn’t, and my heart sank. D is not one to misplace things, and the first night we had carefully divided our yen between ourselves, leaving some money in the room, “just in case” something happened to us while out and about, e.g. stolen wallet/purse, etc. So, we knew the exact amount that was missing: 20,000 yen (~$240). Our only conclusion was that housekeeping must have taken it. D went downstairs to talk to the receptionist, but we knew nothing could really be done. The receptionist said he would talk to housekeeping, (only 1 person) and he/she denied touching our bags (of course). By that time, we didn’t have time to file a police report, so it was a lost cause. I must say, that D and I handled the situation surprisingly well. We were upset, but at the same time realized that: 1. God is in control, it is only money, and there are much worse things that could have happened; and 2. We couldn’t let this incident spoil the rest of our vacation. We even made up a story that maybe the person who took our money had relatives who were victims of the earthquake, and we had made and unwitting donation to the cause!

After eating another lunch-breakfast at the cafe next door, we set out for Imperial Palace, in the heart of Tokyo. It is strange, because the palace is an imposing compound, stuck right in the middle of busy intersections and high rises. It is difficult to imagine what the landscape looked like back when it was first built.

There is an actual moat, and imposing walls made of stone surrounding the palace.

We knew that we wouldn’t be able to tour the actual palace, but thought we would have access to the East Garden. Unfortunately, we were there before it opened, so we decided to walk along a path that circled the grounds. (Facing the entrance, we started to our left). We had no idea how HUGE the property was. People were jogging along the path for exercise, and some were walking in their suits to work. It was definitely good exercise…probably, around three miles. However, my feet/legs didn’t think it was a good idea, especially considering all of the walking we had done the day before. Our recommendation would be to walk until you come across this scene:

You can see this double tunnel bridge without even going into the official entrance. This is one of my favorite pictures from our trip.

There are some interesting trees along the way.

Then, if you turn back, go past the main entrance, and past the East Gardens entrance, there is a small park with some lovely cherry blossom trees.

Flowers along the moat.

We did finally enter the East Gardens. There was a lot of open space, good for a picnic, but we didn’t see too much of what you think of when you think of a Japanese garden. Maybe we were in too much of a hurry. We were anxious to get to our next stop of the day: Ginza.

Shibuya, or “She-boo-yah!” as D likes to say, was the highlight of Tokyo for me. Funny to think that I lived there 33 years ago! There is so much energy, people are dressed up, and it definitely has the feel of New York.

When we exited the station, we had to look for the famed Hachiko statue. We actually missed it the first time, and had to go back.

While we were walking, I happened upon a fabric store and bought a couple of meters. One of D’s co-workers said we should check out Shibuya 109, a high rise dedicated to outfitting the 25 and under set. Almost as soon as I walked in, I wanted to walk back out, it was like Forever 21 on steroids. However, I did pose for this picture because I thought this trend that we saw all over Harajuku is so funny…huge glasses!

(Without the tag, of course).

Next, we went to Starbucks for its prime viewing spot of Shibuya Crossing (also a tip from D’s co-worker). This tip was spot-on, and it was really crowded.


D tried to order the Sakura (cherry blossom) latte, but it was sold out. We settled for the matcha (green tea) frappucino instead. It seemed less sweet than over here, which was good.

D managed to squeeze his way next to the window and captured this shot:

Here is D in the middle of Shibuya Crossing. Next, we hit up UNIQLO, Muji and The Loft, which turned out to be my favorite store in Japan. They have a wide selection of stationery, as well as home and kitchen items.

For dinner, D wanted an izakaya experience, so we went to Za Watami. We took our time perusing the menu. Even though you take off your shoes, and there is tatami seating, it feels oddly Americanized. I think it has some sort of connection to TGI Friday’s, which was right next door. On the other hand, I don’t think you would find this on the menu at TGI Friday’s:

Tasty Horse Sashimi, anyone?

We decided what to order, and waited a good while for a waiter to come by to take our order. Ususally, service seemed so prompt it Japan, what was going on? Finally, D noticed the unassuming bell located at the edge of the table. Once pressed, a waiter appeared at our table in no less than five seconds!

We weren’t feeling too adventurous: tuna roll, chicken karage, and gyoza.

We did, however, try Osaka-style Okonomiyaki.

Not sure how authentic this was, but it was basically an omelet with ham. They topped it with mayo and mustard (something I have never seen before).

After dinner, we headed back towards the station. Due to the energy crisis, not all of the signs were lit up:

Underneath the station is something called Tokyu Food Show. Much like all of the big department stores have, it is a large food hall consisting of endless displays of fancy, interesting foods that the Japanese seem to buy on an ordinary basis. It is a feast for the eyes as well as the stomach.

This cute Lego chef greeted us at the entrance.

I mostly took pictures of the desserts/bakery, but there are plenty of savory foods, as well, including sashimi, bentos, and yakitori.


After all our eating that day, we didn’t actually buy anything. Our feet and backs were aching from our first full day and we anxiously headed back to the hotel for some rest.

Using our JR pass we were able to take the JR line one stop down to Harajuku. We had a tempura lunch at Tenya. D had the full meal set (miso soup, tempura/rice and udon) and I had the tempura/rice bowl which also comes with miso soup. They also served us tea, which was nice.

This was D’s favorite meal of the trip! They dip the tempura in sauce before serving, so it wasn’t as crispy as I’m used to, but it was very tasty. And filling. And not too expensive. For those who may look for this restaurant, it is on Meiji-dori, just to the north of the Meiji-dori/Omoto-sando intersection. The sign is in Japanese, underneath a yellow “Blitz” sign, across the street from a huge H&M.

We walked down Omoto-sando, which is a nice tree-lined street full of fancy stores. We also stopped in at the temporary location of Kiddyland.

Three stories of kawaii (cute)! Of course, I had to buy a few things there. I really like that bear character on the building, along with Miffy. I even passed up Hello Kitty, since she is much more commonplace in the U.S.

Then we headed back to the station towards Takeshita-Dori, the “Harajuku Girls” hang-out. It wasn’t the weekend, so they weren’t out in full force, but the fashions were still interesting.


Although not really pictured here, we saw a Rasta girl (full dreadlocks), a bunch of “forest girls” (natural, Heidi-like), Lolitas, etc.

Harajuku is known for their crepes. They even make a Hello Kitty charm with Hello Kitty in a crepe. Needless to say, my expectations were high. There is a rivalry between Angel Heart crepes and Marion crepes, which are right across the street from each other on Takeshita Dori. After some internet research, I decided we should try a crepe from Angel Heart.

Big Disappointment. I guess they make the crepes in the cart, but it was completely cold, and tasted like a prepackaged crepe from the supermarket. There was not too much filling, and it was expensive for what it was. However, this was probably the only time during our trip where our experience did not live up to the hype, so I shouldn’t complain.

Tokyo is a large city made up of several distinct areas. Our first stop was Shinjuku. I was anticipating heavy rush hour traffic on the subways. I had read that the subway employs “pushers” whose job is to cram people into the crowded subways. However, it seems that the Japanese go into work later (and stay later) than Americans, so we actually beat rush hour.

Our main destination in Shinjuku was the Tokyo Metropolitan Government building’s Observatory. However, it was not open when we arrived, so we had some time to kill. We walked over to nearby Shinjuku Central Park. It is a nice park, but apparently, it is home to the homeless. It still felt safe, as the people were non-threatening and kept to themselves There were also several office workers walking through the park to get to their jobs.

We happened upon the Shinjuku “Mini Museum” which is connected to the park.

We had heard it was the end of cherry blossom season, so we weren’t sure if this was a cherry blossom tree:

It was pretty, whatever it was.

We thought the observatory opened at 9:30, but we found out it opened at 10:00, probably due to the earthquake. So, we decided to check out a nearby 7-11. I wish the 7-11’s in the U.S. were like this!

Notice all of the suits in line for their morning pick me up. This branch had a nice little seating area, too.

There were lots of freshly prepared onigiri (rice balls) and bento lunches. I only wish they would have a standardized color code for the onigiri so we could tell what was inside.

Our cashier was able to tell us that we had chosen tuna salad and salmon. We also bought a green tea and pork bun to round out our “brunch”.

Finally, it was time to head back to the Observatory.

View of the building from the park.

It was funny, because at precisely 10:00, it seemed that the employees were in a mad rush to prepare for the grand entrance of someone important. Turns out, they were just getting ready for us, the tourists. (I had read that the daily opening of department stores is very “ceremonial” in Japan). It wasn’t until just now, when I looked at the website, that I realize that we went on the first day it was open since the earthquake. Good thing it was open after all that waiting!

Cafe surrounded by windows on the 45th floor.

There was a nice view of some interesting architecture.

Modern “Mode” Building

D was excited to see the Tokyo Skytree off in the distance, a work in progress, slated to be one of the tallest towers in the world.

Meiji Shrine (We didn’t make a stop here, so this was the closest we got).

I was fascinated by the signage in Japan. This one depicts the consequences of sticking one’s hand in the elevator door.

Overall, we were quite impressed with the view. Best of all it was free…worth every yen!

We hit some shops on the way back to the subway station.

Here I am in the kitchenwares section of Tokyu Hands in Takashimaya department store. My first purchase was a Miffy mug–could not resist. At first we entered the first floor and all I saw was luggage and travel gear. Little did I know that there were several stories, and much, much more to browse. We also stopped by a Kinokinuya bookstore, but I didn’t buy anything.

Next stop: Harajuku

We left on Saturday from LAX at 3:45 p.m. and arrived at 7:15 p.m. on Sunday @ Narita Int’l. We were able to go through Customs, pick up our luggage, exchange our Traveler’s checks, exchange our rail passes, make all of our seat reservations on the shinkansen (bullet train) and buy a Suica card (subway pass) by 8:15 p.m. It helped that Narita seemed pretty empty and that there was a person who spoke very good English in the Japan Rail (“JR”) office. Tip: don’t forget to fill out the back of the Customs cards…oops.

D used the bathroom at Narita and was confused by the setup. I didn’t see the facilities, but apparently he almost went in the sink!

The Narita Express was only running about once an hour, and only in the morning and night in order to conserve power. Luckily, there was a train that left at 8:45.

You can use the JR Pass to get on the Narita Express. We were told all the seats were reserved (make the reservations in the JR office) but I’m not sure why, considering we almost had a whole car to ourselves! The train feels very new, and was a conveient way to get to the city.

We arrived at Tokyo station and had to transfer to the subway. We tried to swipe our subway card at the turnstile, not realizing that we just had to show our JR pass to exit. The subway card wouldn’t let us out (since it didn’t let us in) and we each tried to swipe it about five times before we figured it out. After that, it was smooth sailing, transportation-wise, which I was worried about. Even though the stations are huge, there is good signage everywhere (in English). The hyperdia website really helped us in planning all of our transportation routes.

We found our hotel in Akasaka and checked in around 10:15 p.m.



The room was small, but clean and in a good location. However, we can’t recommend it, for a reason which we will discuss later.

D had a hard time sleeping due to the time change. I managed a little more sleep, but we both felt an aftershock around 2 a.m. It was very small, but a bit unnerving at the same time. (We felt another small aftershock the next night at around the same time).

We received breakfast coupons for the Excelsior Cafe attached to the hotel. The breakfast options were interesting, more like lunch to us. Sandwiches, or soup or hardboiled egg/toast, all accompanied by a green salad and coffee, tea or juice.

D and I both chose the first option, a sandwich with egg salad, tuna salad and shrimp…yes, all three! We observed many men in suits drop by the cafe for their breakfast on their way to work. Also, we inadvertently sat in the smoking section and had to move to get some fresh air. Living in CA, we forget that people still smoke while they eat–gross. Fueled up, we were ready for our first full day by 7:15 a.m.!

D and I had been talking about visiting Japan ever since my sister and her family moved to Hiroshima last year. We decided it would be best to leave the kids with my parents, and we booked two plane tickets on Singapore Airlines. We started doing our research and booked hotels rooms. Then, in March, the earthquake/tsunami/radiation triple whammy hit Japan and our plans were up in the air. Most people we talked to advised us not to go, and we went back and forth. In the end, we decided to go forth with our plans and the U.S. government even lifted its advisory against non-essential travel two days before our departure date!

I was excited to fly Singapore Airlines since they’re always ranked high in consumer satisfaction surveys. D had flown them multiple times on his previous trips to Singapore, but it had been a while. After flying United, where the only meal time choice is a $5 box of junk, it was nice to eat real food on a plane. Walking past the first class seats, one cannot help feel jealous…those seats are huge! We settled into our economy seats, and grabbed a few newspapers on the way (free!): LA Times for me, Financial Times and (on the way back I got The Straits Times) for D. We were also given hot towels by the courteous stewardesses.

The flight was over ten hours, but it didn’t feel like it. I was able to watch The King’s Speech and D watched Little Fockers (yes, really). For the rest of the trip, D did “knuckles” whenever we reached a goal, something he learned from his movie, I guess.

Nice video setup. I also liked tracking our trip on-screen.

D started out with their signature Singapore Sling. I had the Fruit Spritzer, which turned out to be apple juice with 7-Up (ha-ha!)

For dinner, there was a choice between the Japanese meal and International (which was pretty much American). We chose the Japanese meal…chunk of seared tuna, tamago, cold noodles with dipping sauce, teriyaki chicken, rice, roll, senbei, green tea.

Dessert was Ben & Jerry’s ice cream. Out of all the flavors, this is probably my least favorite, oh well. On the way home it was Haagen Dazs vanilla.

Snack: Curry bun or Turkey wrap. The curry bun was too heavy…like a pie crust with curry inside. The wrap was OK, a little dry.

They also came along with a choice of potato chips and Hershey’s chocolate bars.

Our flight happened to be partially on April 17th, our wedding anniversary. 7 years! For the first time I can really remember, D surprised me by e-mailing the airline beforehand to ask if they did anything for special occasions. (Usually D is very bad at keeping secrets and always hints at things so I usually figure out something is going on). I was half asleep when the crew came by with a little mocha cake. They even put orchids and dry ice to make it all fancy.


Of course, by this time, we were pretty full, but we had a few bites.

Finally, we also had breakfast! We had shrimp fried rice, ham with potato salad, carrot cake, and a roll.

Overall, I enjoyed the flight experience. It felt very decadent to not have to worry about the kids and just eat/sleep/read/watch tv whenever I wanted.